Old County Records Office/Little Rest Museum/Little Rest Archives - Kingston Village Historic District - S. Kingstown, RI
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NorStar
N 41° 28.831 W 071° 31.512
19T E 289168 N 4595179
The granite building here once housed the court records and was possibly the first fully fire-proof building built in the United States.
Waymark Code: WMNBWP
Location: Rhode Island, United States
Date Posted: 02/09/2015
Views: 2
In the South Kingstown village of Kingston, formerly known as Little Rest, is the Kingston Village Historic District, which has this granite building as a contributing building.
The building, the former court records building, is located on the north east side of the intersection between Rhode Island 138 and Upper College Road. Upper College Road also leads to the entrance to the University of Rhode Island.
The building is on the west side of a Victorian style building that currently is the Kingston branch of the South Kingstown Public Library system. This building is made of granite and has a peaked roof. The entire outside surface is made of stone block. The door is in the center and the dark-framed windows have a wide-spaced screen over them. There is a small wooden sign hanging stating:
"Little Rest Archives
[Artistic Design]
Formerly Court Records Vault"
There is a smaller sign on the front that states:
"County Records Office
1857"
The statement in the nomination form states the following:
"3-U. Old County Records Office/Little Rest Museum/Little Rest Archives 1857/58; 1331 Kingstown Road: A small, 1-story, granite block building with a central entry flanked by 2 windows in the gable-end which faces the road. Built next to the court house to store court records, it was reportedly the first totally fireproof building in the United States. After the court moved to West Kingston, this building served a variety of uses, including a carpenter shop for local youngsters. In 1954, it was converted into a museum by the Kingston Free Library Association, and, in 1971, as the Little Rest Archives, it was used primarily for archives of land evidences and geneology. 1862-Records Office)."
Name of Historic District (as listed on the NRHP): Kingston Village Historic District
Link to nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com page with the Historic District: [Web Link]
NRHP Historic District Waymark (Optional): [Web Link]
Address:
1331 Kingstown Road
South Kingstown, RI 02881
How did you determine the building to be a contributing structure?: Narrative found on the internet (Link provided below)
Optional link to narrative or database: [Web Link]
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